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<p>As they grow,&nbsp;so do we.</p>

<p>But what happens when your little boy really does grow up to be a man.</p>

<p><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">Meredith Hale</span>&nbsp;shared a beautiful poem on <a href="http://www.scarymommy.com/" style="line-height: 20.8px;" target="_blank">Scary Mommy</a>&nbsp;that mums everywhere should read</p>

<p>It really does make you want to live in the moment...and sneak some extra cuddles tonight!</p>

<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>When you grow up to be a man</strong></p>

<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;">&ldquo;When I grow up, I&rsquo;ll be a man,&rdquo; you shout, a smile beaming from your sweet face. I tickle your belly, barely covered these days by your favorite, faded Superman T-shirt. &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; I say, trying to smile, &ldquo;one day you&rsquo;ll be a man.&rdquo;</p>

<p>When you&rsquo;re a man, these tiny fingers that grasp mine will slip away. I&rsquo;ll no longer feel the soft skin of your palm against mine, as we walk down the street, looking for squirrels, who are clearly hiding from our clever pursuit. Your hand will belong to another, who will reach out for the rough, strong hands of a man. And these moments of quiet, trusting connection between us will fade in your mind, but will forever inhabit mine.</p>

<p>When you&rsquo;re a man, you won&rsquo;t drag your blanket onto the couch, climb onto my lap, and declare, &ldquo;I want to snuggle.&rdquo; You won&rsquo;t jump in puddles or call yellow &ldquo;yeh-yoh.&rdquo; You won&rsquo;t run into my arms when I enter a room&nbsp;or write me love letters (red squiggles on paper you translate as &ldquo;I love you&rdquo;). You won&rsquo;t climb onto the kitchen counter and proudly declare you&rsquo;re taller than me, and then throw your little arms around my neck while I halfheartedly chastise you for climbing on the furniture (because secretly I love grabbing you and swinging you around the kitchen, while you squeal with surprised glee).</p>

<p>When you&rsquo;re a man, you&rsquo;ll still be my son. You&rsquo;ll still be my joy, my laughter, my bright, beautiful light. But you&rsquo;ll no longer be all mine.</p>

<p>And so, watching you beam with pride at the thought of your inevitable adulthood, I do my best to share your enthusiasm. &ldquo;Yes, when you grow up, you&rsquo;ll be a man,&rdquo; I agree.</p>

<p>But not today. Today you&rsquo;re still my baby boy. And I&#39;m holding on tight.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The full post&nbsp;When You Grow Up To Be A Man&nbsp;appeared first on&nbsp;Scary Mommy and can be read <a href="http://www.scarymommy.com/when-grow-up-to-be-man/" target="_blank">HERE</a><br />
&nbsp;</p>
